Paper towel dispenser cabinets are well known. They can be found in many public lavatories where they hang on walls to dispense paper towel for users to dry their hands.
Prior art dispenser cabinets usually have either a crank or a lever which the user operates to dispense towel. With these dispensers, a user simply turns a crank or operates a lever until the desired length of towel is dispensed.
However, the prior art has recognized that allowing a user unbridled discretion as to the amount of paper towel dispensed can result in waste. To help eliminate such waste and conserve paper, some prior art dispensers are provided with a metering mechanism which provides an impediment to continuous dispensing. The metering mechanism usually requires the user to do some act such as press a button or wait for a period of time after a normally adequate length of paper towel has been dispensed to continue dispensing. The metering mechanism therefore provides an impediment to dispensing excessive amounts of towel.